ave Yetton had a penchant for creating what he freely admitted was girly pop - soppy love songs and silly, carefree lyrics. David Mulcahy tempered this by acting as the ever-vigilant older brother with tracks like “Firetime”, adding structure to result in a perfect balance of playful melodies and sobering lyrics. Their songs were playful, yet intelligent (‘Flex’), reflective, but upbeat (‘Grey Parade’) – you’d expect with such a clash of ideas that the songs would fail to gel, but luckily Jean Paul Sartre Experience is one of those releases that exceeded all expectations.


The song “Loving Grapevine” is perhaps the most perfect example of how their songs worked so well. Jim Laing’s demented, gleeful vocals are so exuberant you can’t help but think how much fun they had recording the album. A relatively straightforward pop number, the song is highlighted by cheery backing vocals – when the guitar solo strikes mid-song, it almost seems out of place.


In fact, the vocals are the most distinctive element of the album. It’s a group of three vocalists perusing a myriad of approaches adding up to a diverse amount of styles on display here. The more serious numbers (“Transatlantic Love Song”) seem uncharacteristic when accompanied by such out and out fun numbers as “Jabberwocky” and “Let There Be Love”. The instrumentation is brilliantly suited though, particularly Sullivan’s drumming which seems to drive the seriousness of the songs -- the more fun and over-the-top the songs, the more disjointed and playful the rhythm. For an album with no credited bassist, their sure are some catchy grooves too – particularly the slow building “Jabberwocky”. It rolls as the song goes along, building tension and allowing ragtime piano and guitars to float in. That is followed immediately with the funky, disjointed doofus-rap sing-a-long “Crap Rap” (trust me, it’s a lot better than it sounds) with bass that pops and grooves in an ultimately impressive fashion (considering the pedigree of these four white southern boys).


I would challenge any lover of pop to come away from this album without at least one favorite. I mean, who could resist the ever-charming “I Like Rain” and it’s Casio-tone melody? These are the kind of songs Chris Knox would have been making if he weren’t such a crotchety old bastard. Highly recommended for days inside, days at the beach, days spent snuggle with loved ones, or nights spent partying.